The
Latin word "Juris" means "law" and "Dicto"
means "I speak." So, if a person, or an institution has "jurisdiction"
over a matter, it means that the person or the institution has the authority
to speak, or to say, what the law is regarding the matter.

Now,
please, notice that this does not mean that having "jurisdiction"
over a matter gives one the authority to make
the law, just to speak it – to declare it – and to enforce
it.

In the
America View of law and government, we recognize that the Law of Nature
and of Nature's God is a fixed, unchanging standard. And "jurisdiction"
– the authority to speak and to enforce the law – is given,
by God, to four separate governments.

We can
visualize this delegation of God's authority by thinking of the four walls
of a room, each wall representing one of the four governments –
the spheres of authority – that God has authorized in His Word.

First,
there is self government, in which we, as individuals, are required to
control ourselves – to conform our behavior to the strictures of
God's commandments. For example, the Commandments require that we positively
discharge certain duties like worshipping the One true God and honoring
our mothers and fathers. The Commandments also compel us to NOT
do certain things, such as steal or bear false witness. The Commandments
address us personally and apply to us personally.

The
remaining three jurisdictions are institutional
in nature. They include the family; ordained by God in
the Garden of Eden and charged with providing for the health, education
and welfare of its members. God designed and declared the family to be
the primary institution of human society with the widest range of duties
and responsibilities.

Next,
we have the Church, whose head is Jesus Christ, and which
is charged by Christ with the promulgation of His Gospel, the training
of all church members in disciple-making, and the distribution of the
sacraments.

Lastly,
we have the Civil Government, which is charged by God
with defending the borders and administering the justice system so that
the Lord's people might live in peace and harmony.

Overarching
all these jurisdictions and their authority is God's jurisdiction and
authority, which by nature of His status as Creator of all, is all encompassing
and universal.

Since
He is the Creator and the Designer of each of the earthly jurisdictions,
His authority flows from Him down to and through each earthly jurisdiction.

In this
way we can see that while there is, in fact, a separation between the
duties of the Church and the State, there is NO separation
of God and His law from civil government. To the contrary,
there is an absolute duty on the part of the
civil government to understand, promote, and enforce the law of the Creator.

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Our
founders, in the Declaration of Independence, referred to God as the Supreme
Judge of the Universe because His jurisdiction supersedes every act of
civil government.

So,
if someone tries to tell you that God and His law don't have anything
to do with civil government then you can be sure that this person does
not understand American history or American government. He, or she, should
not get your vote or your support.

Learn
more about your Constitution with Michael Anthony Peroutka and his “Institute
on the Constitution” and receive your
free gift.

Michael
Anthony Peroutka Esq. is a former Presidential candidate and co-founder
of Institute on the Constitution
(IOTC) an educational outreach of his law firm that presents the founders
“American View” of law and government. IOTC has produced thousands
of graduates in all 50 states with a full understanding of the Biblical
principles on which those founding documents are based.

Michael is a
graduate of Loyola College and the University of Baltimore School of Law.